Method of assembling a camera for vehicular vision system

ABSTRACT

A method of assembling a vehicular camera module includes providing a metal front housing having (i) a front portion, (ii) a rear portion opposite the front portion and (iii) a plurality of side walls extending between the front portion and the rear portion. A printed circuit board is disposed in a cavity of the metal front housing, and a lens holder is attached at the front portion of the metal front housing so that the lens is optically aligned with an imager of the printed circuit board. A metal rear housing has a connector portion having a coaxial connecting element. With the metal rear housing joined with the rear portion of the metal front housing, an inner portion of the coaxial connecting element extends inward into the cavity of the metal front housing and an outer portion of the coaxial connecting element extends outward from the metal rear housing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/297,790, filed Mar. 11, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,477,083,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/487,459,filed Apr. 14, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,230,875, which claims thefiling benefits of U.S. provisional application, Ser. No. 62/322,334,filed Apr. 14, 2016, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference inits entirety. And U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/297,790 is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/341,048,filed Nov. 2, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,250,004, which claims thefiling benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/251,243,filed Nov. 5, 2015.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a vehicle vision system for avehicle and, more particularly, to a vehicle vision system that utilizesone or more cameras at a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Use of cameras or imaging sensors in vehicle imaging systems is commonand known. Examples of such known systems are described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 7,965,336; 5,949,331; 5,670,935 and/or 5,550,677, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a driver assistance system or visionsystem or imaging system for a vehicle that utilizes one or more camerasto capture image data representative of images exterior of the vehicle.The camera module comprises a housing that houses a printed circuitboard having an imager disposed thereat. A lens holder includes a lensassembly and is attached at a front portion of the housing so that thelens assembly is optically aligned with the imager. The camera moduleincludes a rear cover that is configured to attach at an opening at arear portion of the housing. The rear cover includes a connectingelement for electrically connecting to circuitry at the printed circuitboard when the rear cover is attached at the opening at the rear portionof the housing. The rear cover also includes a connector portion, and anouter portion of the connecting element is disposed in the connectorportion so as to be electrically connectable to electrically conductiveelements of a vehicle connector when the camera module is disposed atthe vehicle and the vehicle connector is connected to the connectorportion.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of thepresent invention will become apparent upon review of the followingspecification in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle with a vision system thatincorporates cameras in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation and partial sectional view of a camera of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is another side elevation and partial sectional view of thecamera of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rear portion of the camera of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the rear portion of the camera of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a connector element suitable for usewith the camera module of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is another perspective view of the rear portion of the camera ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is another side elevation of the camera of FIG. 2, shown withoutthe lens holder or lens barrel;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of a camera of the present invention, shownconfigured for electrical connection to a multi-pin connector of avehicle;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of another camera of the present invention,shown configured for electrical connection to a coaxial connector of avehicle;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation and partial sectional view showing a buttjoint between the front and rear camera housing portions; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective partial sectional view of another camerashowing a camera assembly that allows the connector portion to “float”during assembly of the rear camera housing portion to the front camerahousing portion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A vehicle vision system and/or driver assist system and/or objectdetection system and/or alert system operates to capture images exteriorof the vehicle and may process the captured image data to display imagesand to detect objects at or near the vehicle and in the predicted pathof the vehicle, such as to assist a driver of the vehicle in maneuveringthe vehicle in a rearward direction. The vision system includes an imageprocessor or image processing system that is operable to receive imagedata from one or more cameras and provide an output to a display devicefor displaying images representative of the captured image data.Optionally, the vision system may provide display, such as a rearviewdisplay or a top down or bird's eye or surround view display or thelike.

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depictedtherein, a vehicle 10 includes an imaging system or vision system 12that includes at least one exterior facing imaging sensor or camera,such as a rearward facing imaging sensor or camera 14 a (and the systemmay optionally include multiple exterior facing imaging sensors orcameras, such as a forward facing camera 14 b at the front (or at thewindshield) of the vehicle, and a sideward/rearward facing camera 14 c,14 d at respective sides of the vehicle), which captures images exteriorof the vehicle, with the camera having a lens for focusing images at oronto an imaging array or imaging plane or imager of the camera (FIG. 1).Optionally, a forward viewing camera may be disposed at the windshieldof the vehicle and view through the windshield and forward of thevehicle, such as for a machine vision system (such as for traffic signrecognition, headlamp control, pedestrian detection, collisionavoidance, lane marker detection and/or the like). The vision system 12includes a control or electronic control unit (ECU) or processor 18 thatis operable to process image data captured by the camera or cameras andmay detect objects or the like and/or provide displayed images at adisplay device 16 for viewing by the driver of the vehicle (althoughshown in FIG. 1 as being part of or incorporated in or at an interiorrearview mirror assembly 20 of the vehicle, the control and/or thedisplay device may be disposed elsewhere at or in the vehicle). The datatransfer or signal communication from the camera to the ECU may compriseany suitable data or communication link, such as a vehicle network busor the like of the equipped vehicle.

The camera module 14 has a main housing 22 (that can be metal orplastic) in which an imager printed circuit board 24 (PCB) is screwed tothe main housing. This will allow better thermal transfer between thePCB and the housing. If more PCBs 26 are needed (such as for a dual orstacked PCB configuration), they can be added by attaching themelectrically to the first (imager) PCB. This can be done by rigid(solder) means or by a separable connection. Additionally, thermalinterface material, such as pads or paste, can be added between the PCBsand between the PCB and the housing for increased heat transfer.

The main camera housing 22 is open at its rear (opposite the lens holderportion), whereby the imager PCB and other PCB is/are inserted into thehousing and attached at the front portion of the housing (at or near thelens holder 28). For example, the imager may be adjustably positioned atthe housing and optically aligned with the lens of the lens holder(which may be adhesively attached at the housing) and then securedrelative to the housing via fasteners or screws or the like. Optionally,the lens holder may be adhesively attached at the housing after theimager PCB is attached at the housing, whereby the optical alignment ofthe lens and imager is done by adjusting the lens holder relative to thehousing and then curing the adhesive to secure the lens holder and lensrelative to the housing and imager (such as by utilizing aspects of thecameras described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,542,451 and/or U.S. Pat. No.9,277,104, and/or U.S. Publication No. US-2015-0124098, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties).

The camera includes a rear cover or back plate 30 that is attached atthe rear of the housing 22, and that may be at least partially receivedat a recess formed at the rear opening of the housing. The back plate 30may be laser welded at the housing 22 to seal the PCBs in the camerahousing.

As shown in FIGS. 2-8, the back plate 30 has an aperture for receivingand retaining a connector element 32 at the back plate. The connectorelement 32 comprises a body portion 32 a (which is configured to bepress fit into the aperture of the back plate or insert molded in theback plate) and a plurality of connecting pins or elements 32 b forelectrically connecting to circuitry at the PCBs in the housing when theback plate and connector element are attached at the rear of the camerahousing 22. The pins may comprise adjustable or spring-loaded pins orterminals to accommodate tolerances in the location of the PCBs in thehousing and the degree of insertion of the pins or elements or terminalsinto the housing. The pins extend through the body portion 32 a so as toprovide direct electrical connection between the inner pin portions thatelectrically connect to circuitry at the PCB and the outer pin portionsthat electrically connect to electrically conductive elements orterminals of the vehicle connector.

Compliancy thus can be achieved by using some form of spring contact. Inthe case of a coaxial connection requirement, a coaxial spring loadedterminal can be used (see FIG. 10). Likewise, for a connectionrequirement of discrete signals, individual spring loaded pins can beused. Alternatively, a combination of spring tabs and contactingsurfaces can be used to transfer signals between the PCB and the housingand/or between the PCB and a wire harness of the vehicle. The rear coveror back plate 30, which functions to close the main camera housing, alsocomprises a connector interface or harness connection point or connector34, which can be metal or plastic.

The attachment of the rear cover or back plate to the main housing canbe achieved by laser welding, ultrasonic welding, screwing, or byadhesive. If by adhesive, special care must be taken in the design toaccount for dimensional changes in the part through thermal cycling.Some adhesives have been found to pass 1000 hours of thermal cycling and1000 hours of 85 degrees C./85% R. H. testing. For example, the DeloCationic adhesive for dissimilar materials and the Delo Acrylateadhesive for metal materials have been found to be suitable adhesives.

The rear cover or back plate may be selected for a particularapplication of the camera, whereby the appropriate or selected connectorelement is inserted into the back plate to electrically connect to thecircuitry of that camera. The selected connector element has theappropriate terminals or pins for electrically connecting the circuitryto the connector of the vehicle wire harness, such as a coaxialconnector or a multi-pin connector, depending on the particularapplication of the vehicle camera.

In the illustrated embodiments, the camera comprises a metal housing.The metal rear cover may be laser welded to the metal front cover toseal the PCB and imager inside the camera housing.

Optionally, the camera may use sweg pins to hold the PCB in place (oroptionally use one or more fasteners or screws to fasten or attach thePCB at the housing). Thus, the PCB may be attached without use offasteners. For example, swegging, heat staking, spin forming, or thelike may be used to attach the PCB at the housing. Optionally, formingsome material from the housing that is redirected to entrap a portion ofthe PCB to retain its position may be done to attach the PCB withoutfasteners. This could be done in both plastic and metal, and is usefuland beneficial because it eliminates the screws from the BOM.

Optionally, the camera may include dispensable thermal interfacematerial that is dispensed inside the housing to disperse heat(generated by the circuitry during operation of the camera) out to thesides of the camera housing. For example, instead of thermal pads thatmay transfer heat in the thickness or “Z” direction, a thermal pastethat is pressed into place may be forced against the sides of thehousing so as to achieve enhanced heat transfer and results in lowercomponent temperatures. The thermal paste or material isnon-electrically conductive and thermally conductive so as to be able tobe in contact with the circuit board and circuitry and in contact withthe metal housing to provide enhanced heat transfer from the circuitryto the housing walls for cooling the camera during operation of thecamera.

The camera housing optionally, and desirably, comprises a metallicmaterial, and may be die cast, stamped, deep drawn, or impact extrudedout of any suitable metal that would be appropriate for the process. Forexample, the material may comprise aluminum or stainless steel or thelike. The camera thus may have a stamped or drawn or extruded type ofhousing.

The rear housing portion may be attached to the front housing portionvia any suitable means, such as via screws, adhesive or welding or thelike. For example, the metal housing portions may be laser weldedtogether, such as via laser welding die cast aluminum materials orextruded aluminum materials. If laser welding die cast aluminumcomponents, it is preferably that the metallic material or alloycomprise a high silicon content alloy, such as A360, A413, or K-alloy.The laser welding may be performed using a pulsed YAG laser, or acontinuous fiber laser or the like. Stainless steel components may alsobe welded or laser welded together.

Optionally, the camera may comprise a fixed housing (where the rearcover is fixedly positioned at the front housing portion prior towelding) or a floating housing (where the rear cover may move withrespect to the front housing portion prior to welding). For the fixedrear housing design, the joint between the front and rear housingportions may comprise a butt joint (see FIG. 11), whereas for thefloating rear housing configuration, a fillet weld joint may be used.The floating design may cost less as it allows for compensation forcamera tolerances without using additional components or higher costcomponents to accommodate the inherent tolerances. The floatingconfiguration may be achieved by use of oversized holes aroundfasteners, or other means of fixturing the rear housing or cover orconnector part relative to the front housing part and then securing thetwo parts together at the appropriate relative locations (such as viatightening fasteners or ultrasonic welding or adhesive or the like).Both the floating and non-floating configurations require properfixturing and processing to accommodate the housing shape as to allowthe laser to track and stay focused on laser weld joint. Thiscoordinated motion is achieved by using multi-axis control andmanipulation of the camera and/or fixture.

Optionally, the camera may comprise an electrical spring-loaded orextendable/retractable pin connection at the connector end of thecamera. Such pins may comprise discrete signal pins or coaxial signalconnectors (such as described in U.S. provisional application Ser. No.62/403,456, filed Oct. 3, 2016, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety).

In the illustrated embodiment, the rear housing is fixed at the fronthousing portion and the camera uses the tolerance compensating pins ascompliance. Optionally, there are other means to accommodate thiscompliance. For example, the rear housing portion may be laser welded tothe front housing portion, and the camera may use a floating connectorinterface to absorb the tolerances (such as by utilizing aspects of thecameras described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/341,047, filedNov. 2, 2016 and published on May 11, 2017 as U.S. Patent PublicationNo. US-2017-0129419, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference inits entirety). In applications where the camera comprises a metalhousing, the connector portion may be attached to the metal rear housingeither via screws, adhesive, swegging, heat staking, roll forming, orthe like, where the camera configuration allows the connector portion to“float” during assembly (see FIG. 12), but then is fixed in place at itsfinal assembly position while also sealing the camera housing to not letin moisture.

Thus, the camera of the present invention comprises use of spring-loadedpins to make electrical connection between a connector portion of thehousing and circuitry at one or more PCBs within the housing. The pinsprovide the camera connection interface between the PCB and the wireharness or connector of the vehicle at which the camera is mounted. Therear housing is adhesively attached at and sealed at the front housingto seal the PCB(s) in the camera housing. Optionally, the back plate maybe laser welded to the camera body. The present invention also providesfor installation of the individual PCB or PCBs and applying the thermalmedium and connecting the connectors in a more reliable and easier way,since the components are loaded into the camera housing from the rearand fastened or attached at the housing before the electrical connectorelement and back plate are attached at the housing to electricallyconnect to the circuitry of the PCBs and to seal the PCBs in thehousing.

The camera thus may include electrical connecting elements thataccommodate tolerances in the housing and/or PCB mounting and/orconnector portion of the back plate. The electrical connecting elementsmay utilize aspects of the cameras and electrical connectors describedin U.S. Pat. No. 9,233,641 and/or U.S. Publication Nos. US-2013-0242099;US-2014-0373345; US-2015-0222795; US-2015-0266430; US-2015-0365569;US-2016-0037028 and/or US-2016-0268716, and/or U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/467,246, filed Mar. 23, 2017 and published on Jul. 13, 2017as U.S. Patent Publication No. US-2017-0201661; Ser. No. 15/341,048,filed Nov. 2, 2016 and published on May 11, 2017 as U.S. PatentPublication No. US-2017-0133811; and/or Ser. No. 15/478,274, filed Apr.4, 2017 and published Oct. 12, 2017 as U.S. Patent PublicationUS-2017-0295306, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

The camera or sensor may comprise any suitable camera or sensor.Optionally, the camera may comprise a “smart camera” that includes theimaging sensor array and associated circuitry and image processingcircuitry and electrical connectors and the like as part of a cameramodule, such as by utilizing aspects of the vision systems described inInternational Publication Nos. WO 2013/081984 and/or WO 2013/081985,which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The system includes an image processor operable to process image datacaptured by the camera or cameras, such as for detecting objects orother vehicles or pedestrians or the like in the field of view of one ormore of the cameras. For example, the image processor may comprise animage processing chip selected from the EYEQ family of image processingchips available from Mobileye Vision Technologies Ltd. of Jerusalem,Israel, and may include object detection software (such as the typesdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,855,755; 7,720,580 and/or 7,038,577, whichare hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties), andmay analyze image data to detect vehicles and/or other objects.Responsive to such image processing, and when an object or other vehicleis detected, the system may generate an alert to the driver of thevehicle and/or may generate an overlay at the displayed image tohighlight or enhance display of the detected object or vehicle, in orderto enhance the driver's awareness of the detected object or vehicle orhazardous condition during a driving maneuver of the equipped vehicle.

The vehicle may include any type of sensor or sensors, such as imagingsensors or radar sensors or lidar sensors or ladar sensors or ultrasonicsensors or the like. The imaging sensor or camera may capture image datafor image processing and may comprise any suitable camera or sensingdevice, such as, for example, a two dimensional array of a plurality ofphotosensor elements arranged in at least 640 columns and 480 rows (atleast a 640×480 imaging array, such as a megapixel imaging array or thelike), with a respective lens focusing images onto respective portionsof the array. The photosensor array may comprise a plurality ofphotosensor elements arranged in a photosensor array having rows andcolumns. Preferably, the imaging array has at least 300,000 photosensorelements or pixels, more preferably at least 500,000 photosensorelements or pixels and more preferably at least 1 million photosensorelements or pixels. The imaging array may capture color image data, suchas via spectral filtering at the array, such as via an RGB (red, greenand blue) filter or via a red/red complement filter or such as via anRCC (red, clear, clear) filter or the like. The logic and controlcircuit of the imaging sensor may function in any known manner, and theimage processing and algorithmic processing may comprise any suitablemeans for processing the images and/or image data.

For example, the vision system and/or processing and/or camera and/orcircuitry may utilize aspects described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,233,641;9,146,898; 9,174,574; 9,090,234; 9,077,098; 8,818,042; 8,886,401;9,077,962; 9,068,390; 9,140,789; 9,092,986; 9,205,776; 8,917,169;8,694,224; 7,005,974; 5,760,962; 5,877,897; 5,796,094; 5,949,331;6,222,447; 6,302,545; 6,396,397; 6,498,620; 6,523,964; 6,611,202;6,201,642; 6,690,268; 6,717,610; 6,757,109; 6,802,617; 6,806,452;6,822,563; 6,891,563; 6,946,978; 7,859,565; 5,550,677; 5,670,935;6,636,258; 7,145,519; 7,161,616; 7,230,640; 7,248,283; 7,295,229;7,301,466; 7,592,928; 7,881,496; 7,720,580; 7,038,577; 6,882,287;5,929,786 and/or 5,786,772, and/or U.S. Publication Nos.US-2014-0340510; US-2014-0313339; US-2014-0347486; US-2014-0320658;US-2014-0336876; US-2014-0307095; US-2014-0327774; US-2014-0327772;US-2014-0320636; US-2014-0293057; US-2014-0309884; US-2014-0226012;US-2014-0293042; US-2014-0218535; US-2014-0218535; US-2014-0247354;US-2014-0247355; US-2014-0247352; US-2014-0232869; US-2014-0211009;US-2014-0160276; US-2014-0168437; US-2014-0168415; US-2014-0160291;US-2014-0152825; US-2014-0139676; US-2014-0138140; US-2014-0104426;US-2014-0098229; US-2014-0085472; US-2014-0067206; US-2014-0049646;US-2014-0052340; US-2014-0025240; US-2014-0028852; US-2014-005907;US-2013-0314503; US-2013-0298866; US-2013-0222593; US-2013-0300869;US-2013-0278769; US-2013-0258077; US-2013-0258077; US-2013-0242099;US-2013-0215271; US-2013-0141578 and/or US-2013-0002873, which are allhereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The systemmay communicate with other communication systems via any suitable means,such as by utilizing aspects of the systems described in InternationalPublication Nos. WO 2010/144900; WO 2013/043661 and/or WO 2013/081985,and/or U.S. Pat. No. 9,126,525, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

The imaging device and control and image processor and any associatedillumination source, if applicable, may comprise any suitablecomponents, and may utilize aspects of the cameras (such as variousimaging sensors or imaging array sensors or cameras or the like, such asa CMOS imaging array sensor, a CCD sensor or other sensors or the like)and vision systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,760,962; 5,715,093;6,922,292; 6,757,109; 6,717,610; 6,590,719; 6,201,642; 5,796,094;6,559,435; 6,831,261; 6,822,563; 6,946,978; 7,720,580; 8,542,451;7,965,336; 7,480,149; 5,550,677; 5,877,897; 6,498,620; 5,670,935;5,796,094; 6,396,397; 6,806,452; 6,690,268; 7,005,974; 7,937,667;7,123,168; 7,004,606; 6,946,978; 7,038,577; 6,353,392; 6,320,176;6,313,454 and/or 6,824,281, and/or International Publication Nos. WO2009/036176; WO 2009/046268; WO 2010/099416; WO 2011/028686 and/or WO2013/016409, and/or U.S. Publication Nos. US 2010-0020170 and/orUS-2009-0244361, which are all hereby incorporated herein by referencein their entireties.

Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments canbe carried out without departing from the principles of the invention,which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appendedclaims, as interpreted according to the principles of patent lawincluding the doctrine of equivalents.

1. A method of assembling a camera module for a vehicular vision system,the method comprising: providing a metal front housing having (i) afront portion, (ii) a rear portion opposite the front portion and (iii)a plurality of side walls extending between the front portion and therear portion, wherein the rear portion comprises an opening to a cavitydefined by the side walls and the front portion of the metal fronthousing; disposing a printed circuit board in the cavity of the metalfront housing, wherein the printed circuit board has a front side and arear side opposite the front side, and wherein an imager is disposed atthe front side, and wherein an electrical connector is disposed at therear side; providing a lens holder accommodating a lens; attaching thelens holder at the front portion of the metal front housing so that thelens is optically aligned with the imager at the front side of theprinted circuit board that is disposed in the cavity of the metal fronthousing; providing a metal rear housing having a connector portion,wherein the connector portion comprises a coaxial connecting elementhaving an inner portion and an outer portion; joining the metal rearhousing with the rear portion of the metal front housing; wherein, withthe metal rear housing joined with the rear portion of the metal fronthousing, the inner portion of the coaxial connecting element extendsinward into the cavity of the metal front housing; wherein joining themetal rear housing with the rear portion of the metal front housingcauses the inner portion of the coaxial connecting element toelectrically connect with the electrical connector at the rear side ofthe printed circuit board; and wherein, with the metal rear housingjoined with the rear portion of the metal front housing, the outerportion of the coaxial connecting element extends outward from the metalrear housing, and wherein the outer portion of the coaxial connectingelement is configured for electrical connection to a vehicle connectorof a vehicle equipped with the assembled camera module.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the metal rear housing comprises a metal rear coverthat, when the metal rear cover is joined with the rear portion of themetal front housing, closes over the opening at the rear portion of themetal front housing.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein disposing theprinted circuit board in the cavity of the metal front housing comprisesattaching the printed circuit board at the metal front housing via atleast one fastener.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein disposing theprinted circuit board in the cavity of the metal front housing comprisesattaching the printed circuit board at the metal front housing via atleast two pins that fixedly secure the printed circuit board relative tothe metal front housing.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein joining themetal rear housing with the rear portion of the metal front housingcomprises welding the metal rear housing to the rear portion of themetal front housing.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein joining the metalrear housing with the rear portion of the metal front housing compriseslaser welding the metal rear housing to the rear portion of the metalfront housing.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the metal front housingcomprises a die cast aluminum front housing.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein the die cast aluminum front housing is formed of an alloyselected from the group consisting of (i) A360 aluminum alloy, (ii) A413aluminum alloy and (iii) K-alloy.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinjoining the metal rear housing with the rear portion of the metal fronthousing comprises adhesively joining the metal rear housing with therear portion of the metal front housing.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein providing the metal front housing comprises forming the metalfront housing via at least one selected from the group consisting of (i)stamping and (ii) deep-drawing.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein thecoaxial connecting element comprises an electrically conductive pinthat, with the camera module disposed at the equipped vehicle and withthe outer portion of the coaxial connecting element electricallyconnected to the vehicle connector, electrically connects between theelectrical connector at the rear side of the printed circuit board andan electrically conductive element of the vehicle connector.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the electrically conductive pin of thecoaxial connecting element comprises a spring-loaded electricallyconductive pin.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the electricallyconductive pin is at least partially received by the electricalconnector.
 14. The method of claim 1, comprising disposing a thermallyconductive material in the metal front housing so as to contact theprinted circuit board and the metal front housing to enhance heattransfer from the printed circuit board to the metal front housingduring operation of the camera module, and wherein the thermallyconductive material comprises a non-electrically conductive material.15. A method of assembling a camera module for a vehicular visionsystem, the method comprising: providing a metal front housing having(i) a front portion, (ii) a rear portion opposite the front portion and(iii) a plurality of side walls extending between the front portion andthe rear portion, wherein the rear portion comprises an opening to acavity defined by the side walls and the front portion of the metalfront housing; wherein providing the metal front housing comprisesforming the metal front housing via at least one selected from the groupconsisting of (i) stamping and (ii) deep-drawing; disposing a printedcircuit board in the cavity of the metal front housing, wherein theprinted circuit board has a front side and a rear side opposite thefront side, and wherein an imager is disposed at the front side, andwherein an electrical connector is disposed at the rear side; providinga lens holder accommodating a lens; attaching the lens holder at thefront portion of the metal front housing so that the lens is opticallyaligned with the imager at the front side of the printed circuit boardthat is disposed in the cavity of the metal front housing; providing ametal rear housing having a connector portion, wherein the connectorportion comprises a coaxial connecting element having an inner portionand an outer portion, and wherein the coaxial connecting elementcomprises an electrically conductive pin; joining the metal rear housingwith the rear portion of the metal front housing; wherein, with themetal rear housing joined with the rear portion of the metal fronthousing, the inner portion of the coaxial connecting element extendsinward into the cavity of the metal front housing; wherein joining themetal rear housing with the rear portion of the metal front housingcauses the electrically conductive pin at the inner portion of thecoaxial connecting element to electrically connect with the electricalconnector at the rear side of the printed circuit board; wherein, withthe metal rear housing joined with the rear portion of the metal fronthousing, the outer portion of the coaxial connecting element extendsoutward from the metal rear housing, and wherein the outer portion ofthe coaxial connecting element is configured for electrical connectionto a vehicle connector of a vehicle equipped with the assembled cameramodule; and wherein, with the camera module disposed at the equippedvehicle and with the outer portion of the coaxial connecting elementelectrically connected to the vehicle connector, the electricallyconductive pin electrically connects between the electrical connector atthe rear side of the printed circuit board and an electricallyconductive element of the vehicle connector.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the metal rear housing comprises a metal rear cover that, whenthe metal rear cover is joined with the rear portion of the metal fronthousing, closes over the opening at the rear portion of the metal fronthousing.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein disposing the printedcircuit board in the cavity of the metal front housing comprisesattaching the printed circuit board at the metal front housing via atleast one fastener.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the electricallyconductive pin of the coaxial connecting element comprises aspring-loaded electrically conductive pin.
 19. The method of claim 15,wherein the electrically conductive pin is at least partially receivedby the electrical connector.
 20. A method of assembling a camera modulefor a vehicular vision system, the method comprising: providing a metalfront housing having (i) a front portion, (ii) a rear portion oppositethe front portion and (iii) a plurality of side walls extending betweenthe front portion and the rear portion, wherein the rear portioncomprises an opening to a cavity defined by the side walls and the frontportion of the metal front housing; wherein providing the metal fronthousing comprises forming the metal front housing via at least oneselected from the group consisting of (i) stamping and (ii)deep-drawing; disposing a printed circuit board in the cavity of themetal front housing, wherein the printed circuit board has a front sideand a rear side opposite the front side, and wherein an imager isdisposed at the front side, and wherein an electrical connector isdisposed at the rear side; providing a lens holder accommodating a lens;attaching the lens holder at the front portion of the metal fronthousing so that the lens is optically aligned with the imager at thefront side of the printed circuit board that is disposed in the cavityof the metal front housing; disposing a thermally conductive material inthe metal front housing so as to contact the printed circuit board andthe metal front housing to enhance heat transfer from the printedcircuit board to the metal front housing during operation of the cameramodule, and wherein the thermally conductive material comprises anon-electrically conductive material; providing a metal rear housinghaving a connector portion, wherein the connector portion comprises acoaxial connecting element having an inner portion and an outer portion;joining the metal rear housing with the rear portion of the metal fronthousing; wherein, with the metal rear housing joined with the rearportion of the metal front housing, the inner portion of the coaxialconnecting element extends inward into the cavity of the metal fronthousing; wherein joining the metal rear housing with the rear portion ofthe metal front housing causes the inner portion of the coaxialconnecting element to electrically connect with the electrical connectorat the rear side of the printed circuit board; and wherein, with themetal rear housing joined with the rear portion of the metal fronthousing, the outer portion of the coaxial connecting element extendsoutward from the metal rear housing, and wherein the outer portion ofthe coaxial connecting element is configured for electrical connectionto a vehicle connector of a vehicle equipped with the assembled cameramodule.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the metal rear housingcomprises a metal rear cover that, when the metal rear cover is joinedwith the rear portion of the metal front housing, closes over theopening at the rear portion of the metal front housing.
 22. The methodof claim 20, wherein disposing the printed circuit board in the cavityof the metal front housing comprises attaching the printed circuit boardat the metal front housing via at least one fastener.